What is a Nominal Clause Example?

Hi there

Thank you for your query.

Nominal phrases can be easily identified as a group of words within a sentence and functions to give additional meaning to the sentence.

Therefore, a nominal clause is a group of words with a conjugated verb in it that acts as a noun. Also called a noun clause, this structure can fulfill virtually all functions of a noun. A nominal clause starts with words like that, the fact that, whether, when, and many other subordinating conjunctions. It is a dependent clause that contains a subject and a verb but cannot stand alone as a sentence. 

To identify a nominal clause, you can look for the following characteristics: 

·        Interrogative or nominal-that

A nominal clause is often introduced by an interrogative or nominal-that that precedes or replaces the subject of the clause. For example, "Whoever borrowed my iPad is in big trouble" and "I know when the train will arrive" are both nominal clauses. 

·        Answers the question "who?" or "what?"

A nominal clause answers the question "who?" or "what?". 

·        Subordinating conjunctions

A nominal clause often begins with a subordinating conjunction, such as "that," "how," "why," "who," "whoever," "whether," "when," "which," or "where". 

·        Functions as a noun

A nominal clause functions as a noun in a sentence, serving as a subject, object, appositive, or complement. 

I hope this helps you and I look forward to assisting you with any further queries you may have.